FX’s ‘The Strain’ Casts ‘House of Cards’ Actor Corey Stoll as Lead

Misplaced among all the chatter about Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming projects (from Crimson Peak to the recently announced HBO adaptation of Monster), we haven’t heard much about FX’s adaptation of The Strain lately. This was somewhat disheartening, given that the last concrete news shared about the vampire thriller was that the network was proceeding directly to pilot production.

Fortunately, it looks as if FX is definitely moving forward with the show. Recent news indicates that the network has begun the casting process, starting by casting Corey Stoll (House of Cards) in a leading role.

Stoll has signed on to play Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather in The Strain. This is the first confirmed casting of the show, which will be overseen by del Toro and Carlton Cuse (Lost).

While he is currently in the public consciousness because of his portrayal of a self-loathing political operator in House of Cards, Stoll has had a varied career in television and film for over a decade. He’s covered a goodly number of one-shot roles in crime procedurals, culminating in a headlining part in Law and Order: LA. Stoll has also given memorable secondary performances in movies such as Salt, The Bourne Legacy, and Midnight in Paris.

Cover from the Dark Horse Comics adaptation of ‘The Strain.’

The Strain will follow the storyline laid out in a trilogy of novels co-written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (author of Prince of Thieves, the book which was adapted by Ben Affleck into The Town). When a passenger jet lands at JFK Airport in New York City without a sign of life aboard, CDC hotshot Goodweather is brought in to investigate. What he discovers on the plane unleashes a plague of grotesque, parasitic vampires that threatens to overwhelm New York and spill out into the world.

Stoll is solid actor whose painful turn in House of Cards no doubt brought him to many a casting director’s attention. He’ll be the lynchpin in what could end up being a sprawling cast – as such, it will be interesting to see how he embodies The Strain‘s primary protagonist. His recruitment signals that FX is actually on its way to producing a pilot for the series; with any luck, it will end up good enough to air a full series – or at least avoid the fate of promising unproduced properties such as Locke & Key.

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The Strain doesn’t have an established air date yet, but solid casting news means that the series is approaching production. Check back with Screen Rant for more details as they develop.